The Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards of 2018

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The holidays are here and this means travel. This is a perfect time to apply for a travel credit card. The reality is that the best travel credit card is the one that suits your specific travel needs. Of course, every traveler is different, so this set of travel credit card reviews will help you weigh the pros and cons and find the best card for your individual needs. I review all the details including bonus offers and perks such as Global Entry fee credit & select Priority Pass access. Travel rewards can add up quickly, so it’s important to apply and start earning as soon as you can while maximizing your points and miles! Now, without further ado, here are my expert reviews of the best travel credit cards.

50,000 Avios after you spend $3,000 in the first three months (Earn an additional 25,000 Avios after you spend $10,000 in the first year. Plus, an extra 25,000 Avios after you spend $20,000 total in the first year.)

25,000 miles after you spend $2,000 within the first 3 months. Plus, 20% back as a statement credit at US Restaurants within the first 3 months, up to $100 back (offer ends January 9, 2019)

$475

Up to $120 in statement credits each year when you pay with the Gold card at participating dining partners. $100 airline fee credit ($200 total).

$250

$425

*Annual fee waived the first year.**Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer.

Travel Credit Cards: Detailed Assessments

I have done the research for you so let’s take a look at the details of each of these cards and offers, including their bonus values and some of the ways I’ve been able to put the cards’ benefits to use.

Current Bonus: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

Current Bonus Value: $1,340

Standout Benefits:

Earn 5x points on airfare booked directly with the airline or Amex Travel and prepaid hotels purchased through Amex Travel. You can transfer the Membership Rewards points you earn with this card to a total of 20 airline and hotel partners.

Current Bonus: Earn 75,000 miles after you spend $5,000 in the first three months.

Current Bonus Value: $1,050

Standout Benefits:

Earn 10x miles on Hotels.com purchases at Hotels.com/Venture

Earn 2x miles on all other purchases

Get a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit

Starting in December, transfer your miles to a selection of airline partners at a 2:1.5 ratio

Annual Fee: $95 (waived the first year)

Why it’s worth it: The Venture Card was already a very strong value proposition with 10x miles at Hotels.com and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee, but the new 75,000-mile sign-up bonus makes now an especially great time to apply. Plus, starting in December you’ll be able to transfer the miles you earn with this card (as well as the VentureOne card and Capital One’s two Spark Miles cards) to airline transfer partners including Avianca, Etihad and JAL. The transfer ratio is 2:1.5, meaning for every dollar you spend on this card you’re getting 1.5 points or miles with a partner airline. This greatly enhances the potential value you can get with this card, as miles are no longer worth a fixed 1 cent apiece.

Why it’s worth it: It doesn’t offer the bells and the whistles of the much more expensive Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred is still a great pick for earning bonus points on travel and dining, and for enjoying some solid travel protections in the process. I’ve utilized Ultimate Rewards points with partners such as United, which I used to book an emergency ticket home in Lufthansa first class, but you can also redeem the points directly through the Chase travel portal for 1.25 cents apiece. Whether you simply don’t want to spend $450 a year to get the Sapphire Reserve or if your credit score currently isn’t high enough to qualify for that premium card, the Sapphire Preferred remains a very solid option — and the $95 annual fee is even waived for the first year.

In the News:

Current Bonus:150,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.

Current Bonus Value: $950

Standout Benefits:

Earn 14 points per dollar on Hilton purchases

Earn 7 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies and at US restaurants

Earn 3 points per dollar on all other purchases.

Complimentary Hilton Diamond status

Enjoy one weekend night each year, plus earn an additional night after you spend $60,000 on the card in a calendar year.

$250 Hilton resort statement credit each year of card membership

Up to $250 per calendar year in credits for airline incidental fees

$100 Hilton on-property credit when you book a two-night minimum stay with the card at HiltonHonors.com/aspirecard

Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership

No foreign transaction fees

Terms Apply

Annual Fee: $450

Why it’s worth it: As far as hotel co-branded cards go, this one’s pretty impressive. In exchange for the steep $450 fee, you get generous earning rates at Hilton hotels and a variety of annual travel credits (up to $500 between the airline incidental fee credit and the Hilton resort statement credit, and more if you can utilize the $100 on-property credit for Hilton stays). Beyond that you get a Priority Pass airport lounge membership, giving you and up to guests free access.

Why it’s worth it: The Sapphire Reserve won our battle of the premium credit cards for a reason: It offers a stellar selection of perks, from a $300 annual travel credit that can be used toward a wide variety of purchases, to the ability to redeem points for 1.5 cents apiece through the Chase travel portal. Best of all, if you have this card, the Ultimate Rewards points you earn on other Chase cards can also be redeemed at the 1.5-cent rate. You also get an impressive 3x points on travel (after $300 travel credit exhausted) and dining purchases, which equates to a 6.3% return based on my valuations. This card is a prime example of benefits more than making up for a steep annual fee.

Current Bonus: Earn 75,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months.

Current Bonus Value: $675

Standout Benefits:

Earn 6 points per dollar at Marriott and SPG hotels

Earn 3 points per dollar at US restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines

Earn 2 points per dollar on everything else

Up to $300 in statement credits each cardmember year for eligible purchases at Marriott and SPG hotels

Receive a free night award every year after your cardmember anniversary, good for one night at a property that costs up to 50,000 points.

Complimentary Gold elite status

Earn Platinum status by spending $75,000 on the card in a calendar year

Terms Apply

Annual Fee: $450

Why it’s worth it: This recently launched card is the most premium co-branded option available for Marriott and SPG stays. Now that the merger of the two brands is complete, you use this car to earn Marriott points that can be redeemed at more than 6,000 properties across the combined Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and SPG portfolios. The $300 in annual statement credits can be used for room rates as well as incidentals at eligible hotels, and the complimentary Gold status you get as a cardholder entitles you to a 25% point bonus, priority late checkout and space-available upgrades to enhanced rooms.

In the News:

You could use the Travel Together Ticket to fly BA’s A380 first class to London.

Best For: British Airways flyers

Current Bonus: You can earn up to 100,000 Avios — 50,000 Avios after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months, an additional 25,000 Avios after you spend $10,000 total on purchases in the first year. Plus, an extra 25,000 Avios after you spend $20,000 total in the first year.

Current Bonus Value: $655

Standout Benefits:

Earn 3 Avios per dollar on British Airways purchases and 1 Avios per dollar on everything else

If you spend $30,000 on the card in a calendar year, you’ll get a Travel Together Ticket for a companion to use.

Earn up to a 75% points bonus if you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member

Annual Fee: $95

Why it’s worth it: This credit card stands out in a few interesting ways. For one, it acts more like a cash-back card, with points worth 1 cent apiece as a statement credit or as a deposit into eligible Bank of America or Merrill Lynch accounts. So even though this card’s value of $505 is lower than many others on this list, those other values are based on our valuations and assume you’ll be redeeming points for lucrative award travel, such as a premium-cabin flight. With the Bank of America Premium Rewards card, on the other hand, you’re getting straight cash, arguably making it even more valuable. This card can be even more lucrative if, like me, you’re a Preferred Rewards member. As a Platinum Honors member with $100,000+ in BoFA/Merrill Lynch accounts, I earn a 75% bonus on top of the card’s 2x and 1.5x categories — netting me 3.5x on travel and dining and 2.625x on everyday spend.

Current Bonus: Earn 25,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months. Plus, new cardholders who apply by Jan. 9, 2019 can also receive 20% back as a statement credit, up to $100, on dining purchases at US restaurants in the first three months of cardmembership.

Current Bonus Value: $475

Standout Benefits:

Earn 4x points at US restaurants

Earn 4x points at US supermarkets, on the first $25,000 spent each year; then 1x

Earn 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com

Up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold card at participating dining partners

$100 annual airline fee credit

Terms Apply

Annual Fee: $250

Why it’s worth it: Amex revamped its Premier Rewards Gold Card and reintroduced it as the Amex Gold Card, with new bonus categories and a strong focus on dining. With 4x points at US restaurants, the card now offers the most competitive return on dining spending (7.6% based on our valuations), though you’ll want to use another card to earn bonus points when you eat abroad. The card also earns 4x points on the first $25,000 spent per year at US supermarkets, and 3x points on flights. With this card, Amex finally has a strong option for dining purchases. The annual fee is now $55 and not waived the first year, but thanks to the new earning rates and benefits it could be worth it for you.

In the News:

Travel Credit Card Bonus Offers Explained

As you can see, the bulk of the value comes from the bonus itself — I used my latest valuations to calculate a dollar amount for each offer. From there, I added in the value of perks such as annual travel credits and lounge access. For the Platinum Card from American Express, which offers Centurion Lounge access plus Delta Sky Club access when you’re flying Delta, I assigned a value of $250 for these perks. Yes, the cards do offer Priority Pass lounge access as well, but this benefit is available through many cards so I opted to leave this — along with Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credits — out of my calculations.

Also, a few of these cards offer tiered bonuses. For these cards, if the total spending requirement across multiple tiers is higher than $5,000, I focused on the value you’d get by meeting the lowest spending requirement. As an example, with the British Airways Visa Signature Card, I calculated the value of 50,000 Avios rather than 100,000, which you could earn if you spent $20,000 on the card in your first account year.

Travel Credit Card Ranking Criteria

I reviewed numerous travel credit card offers and spent countless hours studying the pros and cons of each offer. My method to assigning value to these cards relied upon assessing the real value of the sign up bonus, travel perks, APR, annual fees, redemption difficulty and more. Each points program has its own point valuation, which you can study here. The value of the individual point will always be a very important factor when rating travel credit cards and their promotional offers.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Which credit cards gives the best travel rewards?

A: The best travel credit card by total bonus value is the American Express Platinum. The total bonus offer value comes in at $1,340. However, the best travel credit card is the one that suits your specific travel needs

Q: How much is 40,000 miles worth?

A: This depends on the rewards program. A basic one-way domestic flight can cost anywhere from 7,500 – 25,000 points. See below for specific rewards program details.

Q: Which Credit Card has the best rewards program?

A: The best rewards program is the one that suits your specific travel needs. Read below to find out more about the different rewards programs.

Read More About Popular Travel Points Programs and see what is right for you:

Hotel Points Programs:

This is The Points Guy’s permanent page for the best travel rewards cards, so you can bookmark it and check back regularly for updates. Keep in mind you may see some reader comments referring to older offers below.

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The American Express Platinum card has some of the best perks out there: cardholders enjoy the best domestic lounge access (Delta SkyClubs, Centurion Lounges, and Priority Pass), a $200 annual airline fee credit as well as up to $200 in Uber credits, and mid-tier elite status at SPG, Marriott, and Hilton. Combined with the 60,000 point welcome offer -- worth $1,140 based on TPG's valuations -- this card is a no-brainer for frequent travelers. Here are 5 reasons you should consider this card, as well as how you can figure out if the $550 annual fee makes sense for you.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Advertiser Disclosure

The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Please view our advertising policy page for more information.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.